Bridle-bit.



UNITED STATES Patented February 7, 1905.

JOHN FIIZ GIBBONS, OF IVATKINS, NEIV YORK.

BRlDLE-BIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,020, dated February '7, 1905.

Application filed April 1, 1904. Serial No. 201,027.

To all whom, it nmy concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN FITZ GIBBONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vatkins, in the county of Schuyler and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bridle-Bits, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bridle-bits.

The object of the invention is to provide a bit suitable for general use which is so constructed that while its action will be sudden and effective upon fractious and vicious horses at the same time it will be humane and will not lacerate the horses mouths and will be desirable for quiet and well-trained horses and will in cases of emergency, as when horses ordinarily gentle become greatly frightened, serve to bring them immediately under control.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bit which will prevent tongue-lolling, lugging, and side pulling.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bit embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section of the central disk and adjoining parts thereof on anenlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the same, on an enlarged scale, showing the parts separated and pro vided with a smaller disk than that shown in Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The bit shown in the drawings is of that kind having a joint-ed bit-bar consisting of a center piece and side pieces A A, hinged to the ends of the central section and provided at their ends with side rings B B. The center piece consists of two sections C and D, which have annular enlargements or shoulders c and d and are detachably connected with each other by a screw-stem E, which projects from the inner end of one section and engages in a screw-threaded hole 6 in the inner end of the other section. The screw-stem E has an unthreaded cylindrical portion e adjacent to the annular enlargement of the section on which it is formed and a small shoulder 6 adapted to abut against the end of the other section of the center piece to preserve a iixec distance between the sections 0 and D.

I is a circular perforated disk which surrounds and revolves freely on the cylindrical portion a of the screw-stem between the sections C and I). The revolving disk may be removed at pleasure by unscrewing the section of the center piece of the bit-bar, as shown in Fig. 3, and different sizes of disks substituted. In Figs. 1 and 2 a large disk is shown and in Fig. 3 a smaller one. The roof of a horses mouth and his tongue are most sensitive to the action of a bit. This revolving disk is adapted to bear upon these parts of the mouth, and it is evident that the larger the disk the more powerful the action of the bit. The disks being readily changeable, the driver can use on his bit a disk of such a size as is best suitable to the horse he is about to drive.

Bits have heretofore been made with central enlargements designed to accomplish a similar result; but in these bits the enlarged portions have been lixed to the bit-bar and not rotatable, and in use it has been found that such a bit is unnecessarily cruel in its action and that when the bit is shifted about in the horses mouth by the driver, as is the case when a horse becomes frightened and attempts to run, it cuts and tears the mouth. This, besides being cruel, makes the mouth of the horse unduly sensitive and renders further handling diflicult. The revolvingdisk avoids this diiiiculty. \Vhen the bit is shifted in the mouth, the disk revolves, and although its pressure on the roof of the mouth and the tongue is as great the disk by thus revolving does not tear nor cut the mouth.

This bit is especially useful to prevent the habit of tongue-lolling, which is caused by the pressure of a bit in the horses mouth. \Vlien the horse feels the bit in his mouth, he immediately starts to run out his tongue; but in so doing his tongue encounters the disk and revolves the same. This attracts his attention and he begins at once to work the disk with his tongue and forgets to put his tongue out farther. This is particularly true in the case of colts and'young horses.

Another advantage of the bit described is that it prevents side pulling and lugging. Ihe revolving disk seems to eXert a peculiar influence upon the horse whenever he starts to seize the bit and pull either forward or side- Wise. He finds instead of a stationary object which he can grab and hold firmly something whlch moves in his mouth and revolves with the movement of his tongue. This seems to divert his attention and he relinquishes his hold on the bit.

I claim as my invention 1. A bridle-bit having a single bit-bar comprising sections detachably connected together at the center of said bit-bar, and a rotatable disk detachably secured between said sections and held from longitudinal movement by integral adjacent portions of said sections, substantially as set forth.

2. A bridle-bit havinga jointed bit-bar comprising outer sections adapted to besecured JOHN FITZ GIBBONS.

'itnesses:

ELIsHA G. HARDING, AMASA HUGHEy. 

